Portable devices, in general, refer to portable electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, a portable Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or navigation device, a media player, a tablet or like devices. Such portable electronic devices usually have a planar shape and a touch-screen display. Examples include Apple® Iphone®, Ipod®, Ipad®, Samsung Galaxy™ smartphones, HTC™ smart phones, etc.
Although a mobile phone, or a tablet can be a very mobile computing device, in some situations a user may prefer to mount the mobile phone or the tablet in a stationary position or may wish to mount a tablet or a mobile phone in a single location while still providing a degree of position adjustability. For example, a user may determine that a mounted mobile phone or tablet can in some cases be easier to view and/or operate, e.g., a smartphone can be mounted to the dashboard or the windshield of an automobile so that the driver can easily see the screen of the smart phone while driving.